Common Values (Volume 1)

by Sissela Bok

In Common Values, now with a new preface, Bok writes eloquently and clearly while combining moral theory with practical ethics, demonstrating how moral values apply to all facets of life—personal, professional, domestic, and international. Drawing on a great deal of historical material, Bok also includes in her examination consideration of the 1993 United Nations World Conference on Human Rights; the World Parliament of Religions; the publication of Veritatis Splendor, Pope John Paul II's proclamation on morality; and the International Commission of Global Governance. Bok's defense of shared morality addresses a crucial topic for our time.

Genres: Philosophy

152 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1995

About the author

Sissela Bok (born Sissela Myrdal on 2 December 1934) is a Swedish-born American philosopher and ethicist, the daughter of two Nobel Prize winners: Gunnar Myrdal who won the Economics prize with Friedrich Hayek in 1974, and Alva Myrdal who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1982.

She received her B.A. and M.A. in psychology from George Washington University in 1957 and 1958, and her Ph.D. in philosophy from Harvard University in 1970. Formerly a Professor of Philosophy at Brandeis University, Sissela Bok is currently a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Harvard School of Public Health.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[James Henderson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this for our monthly study group. It was a disappointing read in that the author, in her attempt to identify values common to all cultures, proceeded to attenuate the concept beyond the point that was acceptable to the group, or at least to this reader. Her attempt to find a minimal set of values flounders by virtue of the goal of the exercise.
The result was a set of values that limited the usefulness of the concept of value.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bok's work continues to be clear and useful. To be honest, I didn't know philosophy was allowed to be both of those at once.